Dawn Alene Phelps Obituary

Dawn Alene Phelps attended Coeur d'Alene High School in Coeur d'Alene, ID. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Dawn Alene Phelps.

Graduation Year	Class of 1976
Date of Passing	Sep 25, 2007
About	Dawn Phelps McConnell was born in Coeur d'Alene. She became known at an early age for her vivid imagination and remarkable creativity. She was a self-described artist who's art education began with an art class in high school which she signed on for when she realized (upon hearing a recording of herself singing) that she would not have a future in music. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Art from the University of Oregon in 1982 and later a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She was, at various times in her career, a waitress, a seamstress, a graphic artist, a tutor, a school teacher and a visual artist. She was last a painter who worked for McMenamins, painting hanging art, furniture and murals. She said, "My work is heavily influenced by my 10 years of teaching and making art with children. For them the joy is in the doing. I strive to achieve the same ease and whimsy in my work." She taught kindergarten at North Marion School district and later worked as an Artist in Residence in the Portland metro area. One of Dawn’s proudest achievements was that she hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mexican to the Canadian border in 1986 with a friend. She was happiest in the outdoors and besides hiking she loved gardening and left glorious gardens in every place she ever lived. Dawn died of cancer September 25, 2007 at home in Portland, Oregon leaving behind a large group of loving friends, neighbors, art buddies and a large extended family.